No, it’s not the merry, merry month of May but I was strolling through the park today. I stopped at a park to take some pictures of my wife and two daughters. They have a nice little stone column area that is good for pictures. While there my daughter suggested going across the street to the Lutheran church. I had never been there but was amazed at the lovely architecture, the landscape, the stone paths. We were able to take some nice pictures while there.
My main point I want to get to is that I learned something new while I was there. I just happened to look at a strange little arrangement near the courtyard and was amazed at what i saw there. Just to the left of a fountain there was a set of 3 good sized boxes. The middle one had flowers in it and the ones to the left and right had little plaques in them, perhaps the size of a small tile (4×4). I really didn’t know what they were until I read the plaque on the wall right behind them. It said “Holy Cross Columbarium” Columbarium? What in the world is that? Well, know that I’ve done my research I know what it is.
According to wikipedia, “a columbarium (plural columbaria or columbariums) is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns (i.e. urns holding a deceased’s cremated remains). The term comes from the Latin columba (dove) and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons; see Dovecote.”
I had never heard of a columbarium before but now I know about them. How interesting that some churches set aside little areas to house the ashes of cremated souls! I had never known of it but now that I do perhaps someday it will help me in my research. Who knows, I may someday find one of my relatives in a place like this! I’m glad I discovered this and I hope it is useful to someone else! I’m glad I took my daughters advice and went across the street to the church. I may have never known anything at all about a columbarium.
I just thought I would share this with you all. As I said, I was shocked by it because I had never heard of it before.
Do you have or know of someone who has a loved one housed in a columbarium?